La Semana Primera

Hola desde Buenos Aires! Cannot believe I’ve already been here a week- time flies! Life is good. I’ve been obsessively taking pictures but I accidentally brought the wrong camera USB cord. Thankfully, Kelly, another girl in our group has one I can borrow. Pictures to come soon!

I’m living in an apartment on one of the biggest streets in the city, Avendida del Libertador, with Kelsey Ibach, an awesome Strat Comm/Jschool chica. Being in our little two-bedroom apartment is like being on a safari; it’s decorated with a zebra skin rug, giraffe pictures and animal print pillows. Que exótico !

The Mizzou students are split up into four apartments, each with it’s own internet connection. Kelsey and I’s seemed to be working when we got here but was password protected and we couldn’t crack the code. So… we waited all week and finally this morning Marcelo, the technical genius, came to our rescue. He pushed the reset button, unplugged everything, waited 30 seconds, plugged it all back in and voile! Internet.

These first two weeks we have intensive Spanish classes to get us on our feet here. I’m in a class with two others, Amelia and Erik, Wednesday-Friday from 4-7pm. We usually meet up around noon, explore for a while, stop at a café, then head south to the other end of town to Universidad Austral. Our professor is Alejandro, or as we lovingly sing to him, Ale-Alejandro. He is 33 years-old, a Buenos Aires native and probably one of the best Spanish teachers I’ve ever had. I haven’t taken a Spanish class since Universidad de Alicante two years ago, so it's a great review for me.

Next Tuesday is the 200-year anniversary of the Argentine fight for independence from Spain. The fight began on May 25, 1810 and independence wasn’t granted until July 9, 1816, six years later. However the beginning of the fight is enough incentive for Argentineans to fiestar. This weekend is a four-day celebration and next Monday and Tuesday have been declared national holidays, meaning no work or school. This afternoon we are going to go to some of the festivities- parades, street parties, etc. More on that later.

All in all, things are great here. Hope all is well back home. Would love to hear from everyone!

Besos!

BA, One of the World's Biggest Cities

According to WorldAtlas.com, the U.S. Census Bureau and Times Atlas of the World, 10th edition, Buenos Aires is the 10th largest city in the world with almost 12.5 million in its metro area. The list of the largest countries has a couple of curve balls, or maybe it's just me. I didn't realize Mexico City was that big, there are several cities near the top I have never heard of and no city in Europe is in the top 20. Paris comes in at #22, London at #25, with Chicago not far behind at #29. Very interesting.

1. Tokyo, Japan - 28,025,000
2. Mexico City, Mexico - 18,131,000
3. Mumbai, India - 18,042,000
4. Sáo Paulo, Brazil - 17, 711,000
5. New York City, USA - 16,626,000
6. Shanghai, China - 14,173,000
7. Lagos, Nigeria - 13,488,000
8. Los Angeles, USA - 13,129,000
9. Calcutta, India - 12,900,000
10. Buenos Aires, Argentina - 12,431,000

11. Seóul, South Korea - 12,215,000
12. Beijing, China - 12,033,000
13. Karachi, Pakistan - 11,774,000
14. Delhi, India - 11,680,000
15. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 10,979,000
16. Manila, Philippines - 10,818,000
17. Cairo, Egypt - 10,772,000
18. Õsaka, Japan - 10,609,000
19. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 10,556,000
20. Tianjin, China - 10,239,000

21. Jakarta, Indonesia - 9,815,000
22. Paris, France - 9,638,000
23. Istanbul, Turkey - 9,413,000
24. Moscow, Russian Fed. - 9,299,000
25. London, United Kingdom - 7,640,000
26. Lima, Peru - 7,443,000
27. Tehrãn, Iran - 7,380,000
28. Bangkok, Thailand - 7,221,000
29. Chicago, USA - 6,945,000
30. Bogotá, Colombia - 6,834,000

Live and Learn- Immunizations

Over the past weekend some of the other students living in Buenos Aires this summer and I went to brunch to get to know each other and discuss our upcoming plans. There are 10 Mizzou journalism students in all, 7 girls and 3 boys. I'm the only graduate student so I didn't know anyone else before this weekend but we all became quick friends. During the course of conversation, someone mentioned their recent vaccinations...

So procrastination is usually harmless, but this might be an exception. Travel immunizations are recommended 4-8 weeks before departure.

I leave for BA in 5 days.

According to Travel MD the following immunizations are recommended for Buenos Aires:

Hepatitis A	Recommended for all travelers
Typhoid	For travelers who may eat or drink outside major restaurants and hotels
Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)	Two doses recommended for all travelers born after 1956, if not previously given
Tetanus-diphtheria	Revaccination recommended every 10 years

But wait, it's not that simple. Travel MD continues that travelers leaving the Buenos Aires city limits should consider:

Yellow fever	Recommended for all travelers older than nine months who are going to the northern and northeastern forested areas of Argentina, including Iguacu Falls and all areas bordering Paraguay and Brazil
Rabies	For travelers at high risk for animal bites or involved in any activities that might bring them into direct contact with bats
Maleria	Recommended for rural areas of Salta and Jujuy province (along border with Bolivia) and Misiones and Corrientes province (along border with Paraguay). Malaria is present in Iguacu Falls.

So now I am wondering, will I be having direct contact with bats? Hanging out in forested areas? These are difficult questions to answer in advance, so I'm thinking err on the side of caution? Appointment is set for Wednesday morning. Immunizations all around, just hope it's not too late!